BamaTanya Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Dd came home from school *without* the T-shirt and sweatshirt we'd ordered in October. The school doesn't have a record of the order. I know the check number, but I can't find the bank statement from October! And, the online access only goes back 3 mos -- stopping just short of that check. Yikes. I have piles and boxes and mountains of papers. I have 5 dc in school, a teacher dh, all my printouts and handouts and courselists and first homework attempts for grad school. . . PLUS all the regular junk that comes into the house on a regular basis. The papers I don't want to throw in the trash because of identity theft but I hold onto until we get the shredder unjammed. I will have to pay the bank some fee to look back more than 3 mos. Or I'll have to write another check to the school for dd's shirts. I need a step-bay-step paper consultant. Something like Flylady, but specifically for the printed page. Instead of decluttering all over the house, I need to tackles these mounds. Any great sites for me? tia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 File--Don't Pile! by Pat Dorff. The author had a similar experience to the authors of Sidetracked Home Executives and Flylady and the Messies Manual, which caused her to do some major organizing with her paperwork. File--Don't Pile! is a *wonderful* system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CookieMonster Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I don't have a system to refer you to. But, I would say you need to spend some time simply sorting. Take boxes, desk space, the dining room table: whatever is available. Sort your paperwork into several major piles: school for each child, your grad school stuff, banking, etc. This is where I would recommend starting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraL in OK Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Do you have any underlying system? If so, maybe your frustration is like mine -- I get a sudden surge in papers, or a change in my routine or time for tending to paper, OR our life changes a bit to bring in different paper... and suddenly I'm overwhelmed! For me, since this is the case, once I tackle the piles and get them sorted, filed, hand-shredded, recycled/tossed... then I need to change or add to my basic system to meet my newer needs. Good resources: the book "Taming the Paper Tiger" was a HUGE help to me. I've also appreciated OrganizedHome.com Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaTanya Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 I *do* have an underlying system, but it gets thrown off pretty easily. For instance, we hosted the family at Thanksgiving, and in the "clean sweep" that preceded the guests, *somehow* a VERY IMPORTANT BINDER disappeared. It had all of my "bills paid" for 2007 and possibly my bank statements filed by month. I have not seen it since. I have searched in boxes and under beds and in the garage. And it's taken me this long to figure out that I'm going to have to start over! I *kind of* get it together in between semesters, but by the second or third weeks, I've fallen behind again. I *think* my system must be too complicated for me to keep up with. Or, I just don't check in with the piles often enough. The Paper Tiger books are at my library, so I can check them out tomorrow. Meanwhile, I'm off to the Organized Home. Thanks for the suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraL in OK Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Stowed in a closet? Under the sink? Above the washer & dryer? In the sunroom? Under your bed? ...those are places I've stashed piles or whatever before Christmas or one of our twice-annual big parties. I still have a storage-type closet half-full of stuff I haven't missed. At all. For a couple of years. Yikes! Read books, browse Web sites, and think about this: at what point does your paper get out of control? For me, it's often when I'm busy and don't attend to paperwork right away. Then my "to-do" pile gets out of control and then ignored. I already sort the mail and other incoming paper over the recycle bin :) I'm going to tackle the remaining paper by making a set of folders for it: Call - Mail - Calendar (add to) - Pay - File (and file those items weekly) - and folders for the next 12 months, with the current month always in front, for stuff I want to have later but have no good place for! I heard this idea on the radio, and I think it's exactly what I'm missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in IN Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I already sort the mail and other incoming paper over the recycle bin :) I'm going to tackle the remaining paper by making a set of folders for it: Call - Mail - Calendar (add to) - Pay - File (and file those items weekly) - and folders for the next 12 months, with the current month always in front, for stuff I want to have later but have no good place for! I heard this idea on the radio, and I think it's exactly what I'm missing. This is a great idea! I'm working on my system right now, and I think I'll be incorporating these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I also found Organizing from the Inside Out to be very helpful in assisting me to figure out why my existing systems weren't working for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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